Change is hardly noticeable when it occurs in front of your face over a long period of time. That’s what happened to Dave: he changed forms but was only caught long after the act. He went from being thin and strongly-built to being husky, bespectacled and slightly hunchbacked. The irony of it is, that he actually became more handsome as he got older. It is too hard to explain this phenomenon in words, so I will shortly tell it in pictures.
Dave was never too muscular, but during the time that he spent living in Miami with Alex and trying to make it on his own, he managed to etch out what he himself would call “the body of a Greek god.” That, however, did not last long; he quickly lost the physique.
Dave began to wear glasses almost exclusively because he was bothered by the general discomfort of eye contacts. He didn’t like the process of having to put them on, either. He much preferred to have his eyes at will. Though my eye sight has also been poor, his was poorer, and I know this because I have put on his glasses before and felt numb from their power. This is ironic because I was the reader of us two. He read, but he didn’t have the same patience as me to dedicate to reading. Additionally, during the last three years of his life, he did do much reading; it just wasn’t in book form. His readings consisted of blogs, online encyclopedias, news outlets, instruction manuals (for his various gadgets), and The China Study. I don’t know if he ever learned to read music, but he could definitely play a mean guitar.
I also don’t know if his gait ever changed much; he sort of always shuffled his way through. He wasn’t fond of tight-fitting (or even remotely tight-fitting) clothes; he was more loving of loose, baggy jeans and joggers (never shorts). Maybe as a result of this, his walk was never quite right. But that was ok. That was Dave. As with everyone else, his antics and quirks were what made him uniquely him. These were the things that made him distinguishable and loveable.
Shortly prior to graduating from Town Baptist, Dave entered a pivotal phase of his life in which he began to question everything. I say pivotal because it was the first time that he really began to grow spiritually and mentally (though it wasn't immediately apparent). It was from the dazzle of these confused thoughts that he began to carve out his worldview, which ultimately was simple and beautiful.
During this time, Dave listened almost exclusively to alternative and heavy metal rock music. He was rebellious and would lash out when challenged. He also worked several dead-end jobs, unable to find something comfortable. He didn’t do much dating but I don’t think that this was intentional; it was merely a result of not having much of a dating pool. (You see, Town Baptist High School is small with very few students. And dating at that age, in any event, was looked down upon unless it was light and accompanied by the services of chaperones.)
Dave’s religion tumbled when confronted--in reality, bombarded--by the secular world. I think that at the heart of this tumble was his sexual angst. He was a 19-year-old virgin who was increasingly in the company of women--at work, school, and wherever he and his best friend, Ramon, went. Biblical quandaries began to bother him; for example, how was the Bible holy if it was written by man? If salvation was permanent, didn’t that then mean that people like Hitler could go to heaven? Holy Baptist Church was never able to give him satisfactory answers to these questions, and he was never able to reconcile his doubts again, resulting in his stopping to attend. (He also wasn’t all too happy when one of the members of the church, who came closer than anyone else to being a father figure to him, broke all of his rock CD’s--well over a hundred dollars’ worth of music.)
Dave never converted to atheism, but he did embrace his agnosticism and would flaunt it like a medallion whenever the topic of religion came up. He’d graduated from Town Baptist only a few months back, and he was being pressured by the church members to continue on to their college. But he was stubborn in his agnostic stance. Marilyn Manson was too entrenched in his brain to even allow a consideration of HBC’s college.
From this point forward, Dave matured and began to look for a career that would provide him a great income and job security. He found that career in radiography, and as soon as he knew that that was what he wanted to do his will became ironclad. He immediately raised the necessary money to have his criminal record, resulting from a shoplifting charge, expunged. He took all the necessary prerequisites and in seemingly no time had been accepted into Malcolm X College’s radiography program.
When in the program, Dave's friendship with Ramon was practically put on hold as he toiled his way through homework, projects, quizzes and tests. He attended school full-time and was only able to work part-time up until he began his clinical training. After that point, it was all Malcolm X. He attended classes and clinicals practically all day Mondays to Fridays, and spent the weekends locked up in his room studying. For the first time ever, I saw a side of him that I’d never seen before: the studious side. His study habits were more than impressive. It wasn’t rare for him to briefly step out of his room to fetch something from the refrigerator while going over his lesson aloud. He also tape-recorded his lectures, and I’d often hear his professors chattering away in fuzzy voices while passing his room.
Eventually, Malcolm X College participated in a Jeopardy-like contest to determine what was the best radiography program in the state of Illinois. Not surprisingly, Dave was chosen to be the captain of his team. This made him very happy, and he accordingly stepped up his study habits. Instead of studying four hours a day, he would now study five; instead of merely tape-recording his lectures, he would actually go out and rent telecourses that covered the same material.
During the last few years, Dave was quiet and introverted. While he still had his signature sardonic sense of humor, full with his sharp sallies and witty social observations, he kept this mostly to himself unless prodded. In conversation, however, he was often chatty and run-on. I realize now that this may have been an attempt to compensate for his introvertedness.
He didn't leave with neither a bang nor a whimper. He simply shuffled his way through.
Old Dave
New Dave
Dave on his graduation
Dave was never too muscular, but during the time that he spent living in Miami with Alex and trying to make it on his own, he managed to etch out what he himself would call “the body of a Greek god.” That, however, did not last long; he quickly lost the physique.
Dave began to wear glasses almost exclusively because he was bothered by the general discomfort of eye contacts. He didn’t like the process of having to put them on, either. He much preferred to have his eyes at will. Though my eye sight has also been poor, his was poorer, and I know this because I have put on his glasses before and felt numb from their power. This is ironic because I was the reader of us two. He read, but he didn’t have the same patience as me to dedicate to reading. Additionally, during the last three years of his life, he did do much reading; it just wasn’t in book form. His readings consisted of blogs, online encyclopedias, news outlets, instruction manuals (for his various gadgets), and The China Study. I don’t know if he ever learned to read music, but he could definitely play a mean guitar.
I also don’t know if his gait ever changed much; he sort of always shuffled his way through. He wasn’t fond of tight-fitting (or even remotely tight-fitting) clothes; he was more loving of loose, baggy jeans and joggers (never shorts). Maybe as a result of this, his walk was never quite right. But that was ok. That was Dave. As with everyone else, his antics and quirks were what made him uniquely him. These were the things that made him distinguishable and loveable.
Shortly prior to graduating from Town Baptist, Dave entered a pivotal phase of his life in which he began to question everything. I say pivotal because it was the first time that he really began to grow spiritually and mentally (though it wasn't immediately apparent). It was from the dazzle of these confused thoughts that he began to carve out his worldview, which ultimately was simple and beautiful.
During this time, Dave listened almost exclusively to alternative and heavy metal rock music. He was rebellious and would lash out when challenged. He also worked several dead-end jobs, unable to find something comfortable. He didn’t do much dating but I don’t think that this was intentional; it was merely a result of not having much of a dating pool. (You see, Town Baptist High School is small with very few students. And dating at that age, in any event, was looked down upon unless it was light and accompanied by the services of chaperones.)
Dave’s religion tumbled when confronted--in reality, bombarded--by the secular world. I think that at the heart of this tumble was his sexual angst. He was a 19-year-old virgin who was increasingly in the company of women--at work, school, and wherever he and his best friend, Ramon, went. Biblical quandaries began to bother him; for example, how was the Bible holy if it was written by man? If salvation was permanent, didn’t that then mean that people like Hitler could go to heaven? Holy Baptist Church was never able to give him satisfactory answers to these questions, and he was never able to reconcile his doubts again, resulting in his stopping to attend. (He also wasn’t all too happy when one of the members of the church, who came closer than anyone else to being a father figure to him, broke all of his rock CD’s--well over a hundred dollars’ worth of music.)
Dave never converted to atheism, but he did embrace his agnosticism and would flaunt it like a medallion whenever the topic of religion came up. He’d graduated from Town Baptist only a few months back, and he was being pressured by the church members to continue on to their college. But he was stubborn in his agnostic stance. Marilyn Manson was too entrenched in his brain to even allow a consideration of HBC’s college.
From this point forward, Dave matured and began to look for a career that would provide him a great income and job security. He found that career in radiography, and as soon as he knew that that was what he wanted to do his will became ironclad. He immediately raised the necessary money to have his criminal record, resulting from a shoplifting charge, expunged. He took all the necessary prerequisites and in seemingly no time had been accepted into Malcolm X College’s radiography program.
When in the program, Dave's friendship with Ramon was practically put on hold as he toiled his way through homework, projects, quizzes and tests. He attended school full-time and was only able to work part-time up until he began his clinical training. After that point, it was all Malcolm X. He attended classes and clinicals practically all day Mondays to Fridays, and spent the weekends locked up in his room studying. For the first time ever, I saw a side of him that I’d never seen before: the studious side. His study habits were more than impressive. It wasn’t rare for him to briefly step out of his room to fetch something from the refrigerator while going over his lesson aloud. He also tape-recorded his lectures, and I’d often hear his professors chattering away in fuzzy voices while passing his room.
Eventually, Malcolm X College participated in a Jeopardy-like contest to determine what was the best radiography program in the state of Illinois. Not surprisingly, Dave was chosen to be the captain of his team. This made him very happy, and he accordingly stepped up his study habits. Instead of studying four hours a day, he would now study five; instead of merely tape-recording his lectures, he would actually go out and rent telecourses that covered the same material.
During the last few years, Dave was quiet and introverted. While he still had his signature sardonic sense of humor, full with his sharp sallies and witty social observations, he kept this mostly to himself unless prodded. In conversation, however, he was often chatty and run-on. I realize now that this may have been an attempt to compensate for his introvertedness.
He didn't leave with neither a bang nor a whimper. He simply shuffled his way through.
Old Dave
New Dave
Dave on his graduation
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